Ghalahad
G halahad, is a newly promoted member of the Gilneas Liberation Front, a mighty warrior, and a subordinate to Lord Darius Crowley. He has led three campaigns and is a determined enemy of the Forsaken. Appearance Ghalahad's Human form has long black hair, blue eyes, and near constant stubble on his clefted chin. He carries himself with an almost noble bearing - often dressed in expensive plate armor and clutching a two-handed rapier. He occasionally wears the robes of aristocracy - often with a walking stick that shows off his wealth and prestige. In his Worgen form, Ghalahad's appearance changes drastically - his eyes become yellow, while his face becomes narrow and snoutlike - with long ears, pronounced canines and a highly toned, muscular frame. He prefers to wear bright blue and gold armor with the tabard of his homeland, a reminder of the life he once had Personality In contrast to his almost beastly appearance, Ghalahad is actually quite a gentle, refined individual. Given his family lineage and proud upbringing, he is generally polite, soft-spoken, erudite and somewhat taciturn. He often can be seen in Ironforge - appreciating the library's many works of art and relics from past ages. Given his newly embraced animalistic heritage, he now can often be found in Darnassus' many meditative ponds, reflecting, meditating, or otherwise simply enjoying the serenity of the Night Elves' city. Under his genteel exterior - there is a deep-rooted fear that he one day will succumb to the beastly rage of his other side - even with his transformation and subsequent control - he does his very best to keep his anger in check. When under stress or angst, Ghalahad will prefer the diplomatic approach - preferring to talk first, and if that fails - then fight. Gifted with a high degree of intelligence and a sound tactical mind, it is unsurprising he prefers the path of the Warrior. He fights with a dueling style - often dazzling his opponent with displays of bladework, parries and thrusts - dueling defensively one moment before changing tactics and attacking with an almost beastial aggression. Early Life Born and raised in Gilneas City, Ghalahad's parents groomed him from an early age to live among the wealthy gentlemen of the upper class. However, gifted with a curious and imaginative mind, the young noble often overcome by the desire for adventure and excitement - a stark contrast to the usual Gilnean attitude of isolation and solitude. Often, he would leave the city and explore the surrounding countryside in search of mischief. As he grew, his attitude began to soften, and he eventually settled into his family's wealth - but he never truly lost his sense of exploration, an urge which led him to join the Gilnean Royal Army - eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant. While he did not stand out amongst his peers, Ghalahad showed a tremendous amount of tactical insight with great promise as a fencer. His superiors attempted to steer him towards a career as an officer due to his lateral thinking - but the young fighter's lust for excitement led him to enlist as a regular infantryman in the King's Royal Guard. Not long after the Second War and Gilneas' succession from the Alliance - Ghalahad became an outspoken critic of the nation's policy of isolationism - eventually throwing in his lot with Lord Darius Crowley, a like-minded noble whose predictions of disaster left a lasting impression on the younger Warrior. The Civil War When Crowley and his troops encouraged an uprising against the corrupt nobles in the city, Ghalahad lent the Rebels use of his family estate as a base - and from there, fought in four separate battles with the Royalists, interspersed with trips to the countryside to gather weapons and supporters. After King Greymane imprisoned Crowley - the young Ghalahad and his men were placed under house arrest - only being spared because of his family's long and prestigious history in the defense of Gilneas. Not long afterwards, there came rumors of uprisings throughout the coastal towns of the peninsula - but not due to rebels - but strange creatures that had the appearance of Wolves, yet walked upright as men. The Worgen Shortly after the creatures had reached the capital - Ghalahad and Prince Liam Greymane discovered the truth of the uprisings - the Worgen. Knowing their country had been cut off from the world by the Greymane wall - the Royal Family made the decision to release Crowley and his supporters - offering an alliance against the Worgen. Darius, who had been King Greymane's friend before the Civil War, agreed, and sent Ghalahad with his own daughter, Lorna Crowley to retrieve a secret stockpile of weaponry to use against the beasts. Fighting his way through the streets, evacuating as many people as could be found, Ghalahad discovered the terrible truth - that the Worgen's bite could spread their curse, transforming people into more of them. Ghalahad himself was bitten by a feral Worgen while guarding the escape of his family - but kept the wound hidden from Crowley. Troops from the Royal Guard drove back the creatures with use of their cannons, but their numbers quickly spent the ammunition. Rallying his men inside Light's Dawn Cathedral - Crowley and his troops prepared to make a last stand to hold off the Worgen and buy time for the refugees to escape. Among them was the young Warrior, who at the height of the battle, transformed - and escaped into the wilderness. For a month, Ghalahad fought without thought - hunting and preying on livestock - the curse having driven him mad with an animal rage, only to be captured by the Prince and brought to Duskhaven and imprisoned while the Royal Alchemist, Krennan Aranas worked night and day to create a cure for the curse. When administered, the cure brought Ghalahad back to his senses - allowing him temporary control of himself. However, the ground shook, and fireballs erupted from the skies - signaling the end of the nation's isolation...and heralded the arrival of the Forsaken - who had begun to invade Gilneas. The Invasion Ghalahad quickly found himself pressed into the frontlines against the Forsaken - who had taken advantage of the Cataclysm to invade the peninsula. As hundreds of warriors rushed to join the battle at Duskhaven, Ghalahad and a small group of fighters attacked the Forsaken ships - using a captured catapult to launch themselves onto the enemy vessels and kill the two captains overseeing the amphibious assault, hoping to delay the attack until the wounded and civilians could escape. As the fighting reached its peak, the earth itself gave way beneath the waves - swallowing the entire town and drowning hundreds on both sides beneath the sea. Ghalahad fought long and hard through the rest of the enemy lines on other fronts, attempting to reach Greymane Manor and regroup with his comrades. While en route to the Manor - he came across a Night Elf, who told him of the Grand Alliance and how help would be coming. Agreeing that the Forsaken advance had to be slowed, the two fighters set a trap and ambushed several Dark Rangers, killing many of them. Soon after, Abominations supported by infantry stormed into the forests - seizing the Scythe of Elune and attempting to make off with the artifact. Had they succeeded, the Worgen would have been turned into slaves for the Forsaken - and the nation might well have fallen overnight. However, Crowley and his troops drove back the enemy, inflicting heavy casualties and taking the Scythe back. Armed with victory, the Gilneans who had been infected, Ghalahad among them - drank from the waters of Tal'doren, restoring their Humanity permanently and regaining balance. With this, King Greymane himself appeared, revealing he also had been infected by the curse and that he now intended to unite all of Gilneas and drive the Forsaken out. Ghalahad and his men then set to work, destroying every Horde outpost and troop deployment they could find - focusing especially on the officers and higher ranking units. A force of resistance fighters under Prince Liam Greymane and Lorna Crowley liberated the town of Emberstone - freeing the Gilneans inside the mines and killing the Executor Cornell - the overseer of the Forsaken's operations in the east. Emboldened by their success - Ghalahad and a squad of feral Worgen drove northwards, establishing a camp on the outskirts of the occupied Gilneas City. Meeting with the leaders of the freedom fight - Ghalahad discussed their strategy to retake the capital. Knowing that Sylvanas herself was touring the front lines and that the chance to assassinate her could not be passed over, the leaders agreed that the time to strike had arrived. Crowley and Genn led a frontal assault on the city's main gates, while troops under Prince Liam and Ghalahad forced their way into the east side of the capital, flanking the occupiers. Urban fighting broke out and continued for many hours, with the Forsaken attempting several times to regroup, only to have the Gilneans use artillery and explosives to scatter them. Gorerot, a secret weapon the enemy had been building in Stoneward Prison, attempted to turn the tide - but was quickly gunned down by captured plague catapults. When three of the four districts in the city had been cleansed, the freedom fighters drove into Greymane Court and engaged the Forsaken Royal Guard. As the last of her bodyguards were shot and killed, Ghalahad and his men engaged the Banshee Queen herself.- wounding her severly. As she attempted to kill King Greymane, Liam jumped in the way and took the poisoned arrow. Unable to continue the fight, and knowing the Gilneans would want revenge for their Prince, Sylvanas withdrew. Retreat to Darnassus Ghalahad and the Royal Family attended a short funeral procession which buried the fallen Prince, and shortly afterward used a captured Forsaken bat to bombard the assaulting enemy troops - obliterating many tanks and killing off whole platoons of Horde soldiers. With the enemy advance temporarily halted, Ghalahad and his men began the evacuation of refugees to the town of Keel Harbor where a Night Elf force awaited them. Knowing that the Horde would not allow the civilians to escape - King Greymane, Crowley and Ghalahad devised a plan to stop the Forsaken's reinforcements and clear the passage to the sea. Using a Night Elf spear-launcher, and the aid of a force of Ancients, the Gilneans fought back and destroyed a contingent of arriving orc forces - inflicting heavy casualties and preventing them from linking up with their Forsaken allies in the country. With that, Lorna Crowley and a small team of fighters then infiltrated a newly arrived Horde gunship - sabotaging the engines - which in turn caused the vessel to explode, crashing it into the Forsaken navy and opening the way for the refugees to escape. Their route clear - the Gilneans retreated to the safety of the Night Elf capital of Darnassus. Once they had settled into their new and temporary home, the Howling Oak - the Gilneans sent emissaries to Stormwind City to meet with King Varian Wrynn. King Wrynn agreed to answer the pleas of a fellow human nation - and thusly sent the 7th Legion - one of the strongest and best equipped units in the Alliance to aid the newly formed Gilneas Liberation Front. Member of the GLF With the knowledge that his people were secure, Ghalahad immediately set to work building support for the war effort - gathering weapons, supplies and money for the freedom fighters operating in Silverpine under the name "Gilneas Liberation Front". Initial battles did not go well for the Horde - as Druid guerillas frequently used their bear forms to ambush and destroy troop deployments and raided outposts on the outskirts of the battlefield before withdrawing into the forest. With the might of the 7th Legion on their side, the battle quickly turned into the GLF's favor - several battalions of Forsaken troops were obliterated. Heavy fighting continued for several weeks as the allies continued to gain ground - refugees from the Forsaken invasion of Southshore and Hillsbrad seized Fenris Isle and used it as a base from which to attack Horde outposts. Back in Gilneas, Darius Crowley and Ivar Bloodfang - the leader of the Bloodfang Pack formed a partnership against the Forsaken. With that, the allied ranks became bolstered by countless new Worgen eager to fight for the Alliance. Gnomish submarines and conventional naval forces then destroyed the rest of the Horde's navy - landing a strike force on the shores of Gilneas and linking up with the Liberation Front troops assaulting the occupied capital city. Ghalahad led the drive against an Orc company which attempted to relieve the surrounded Forsaken - eventually defeating their warlord and sending them into a rout. When they had heard reinforcements were not coming, the Forsaken resolved to fight to the death - several hundred troops were killed down to the last - only Captain Rutsak, their commander - managed to escape the slaughter, having been allowed to witness the Alliance's strength. Despite their horrific losses, the Forsaken did manage to capture the body of Lord Vincent Godfrey and killed Master Sergeant Pietro Zeren - slowing down the Alliance's advance into Silverpine. With Ghalahad leading the troops on the front lines - Crowley and his men then staged a daring tactical offensive which destroyed three Horde gunships filled with troops, supplies and ammunition for their soldiers. The gunships commanders, who had been sloshed, were caught completely by surprise as they came under attack by the GLF's siege weaponry. The first two ships caught fire and exploded, while the third crash-landed near the Skittering Dark mine - its survivors coming under attack by the nearby spider colony. This fiasco, which the Horde would bitterly remember as its worst naval defeat in the entire war - greatly outraged Admiral Hatchet. Forsaken troops were able to salvage some of the wreck - but their efforts were largely stymied by Ghalahad and his troops - who undertook a sortie that wiped out two more squads of landing Orcs and Tauren near North's Tide Beachhead. Sylvanas - who was not pleased with the loss of so many of her soldiers, promptly ordered the slaughter of all nearby Dalaran mages and set Silverpine forest itself ablaze to flush out the guerillas. Gathering his forces - Crowley prepared for an assault in the open that would break the Forsaken's position - which in turn would allow the Alliance to invade Tirisfal, the Plaguelands, and Quel'thalas. However, before this assault could begin - Sylvanas' troops brought forth their prisoner - Lorna Crowley, Darius' only daughter. Horrified, Darius accepted the Forsaken's terms - agreeing to leave Lordaeron with the Liberation Front in exchange for his daughter's life. Ghalahad, Crowley and their men fled, but Godfrey - wanting to seize control of the Forsaken for himself, killed Sylvanas with one stroke. Yet, three Val'kyr maidens sacrificed themselves in order to resurrect the Banshee Queen. Declared a traitor - Godfrey fled to Shadowfang Keep, pursued by both the Alliance and the Horde. Open War ﻿With the fighting in Gilneas settled for the time being, Ghalahad requested a transfer to other battlegrounds where his skills at war could be put to further use against the Horde. The Alliance's High Command agreed - and gave him a comission as a Commander in the Kalimdor front. His unit's first assignment was to drive back the Twilight's Hammer in Darkshore, a task which he undertook with great zeal. Human and Worgen troops dispatched immediately to the Master's Glaive - where cultists were attempting to remove the sword of an ancient Stone Giant from the skull of a Faceless One named Soggoth the Slitherer. Had they been successful, the creature would have been revived - and the region would have likely fallen. Yet, with the support of newly arrived Night Elves sent by Malfurion Stormrage from Darnassus - the allies managed to slaughter all of the cultists and defeated the Avatar of Soggoth - preventing the creature's resurrection. Once that threat had been dealt with - the Commander and his troops pushed further east, reinforced the town of Lor'danel - and launched attacks on the Horde's base of operations in Shatterspear War Camp. The Blasted Lands With the conflict widening and relations improving between Gilneas and the rest of the world, Ghalahad soon became friends with a High Elf named Ardalan - who told him of a vision of an approaching "greater threat" that the Alliance and the Horde would have to put their differences aside in order to fight. With that, Ardalan sent Ghalahad to the Swamp of Sorrows - where, after hours of searching, he came across the spirit of a slain Orc named Trebor. The fallen Hero of the Horde explained that the only way his soul could be freed was to defeat the "greater menace" that Ardalan had spoken of - a threat with which the Orcs were all too familiar: The Burning Legion. The warrior agreed to a truce, and subsequently began a chain of events that would lead him to the Blasted Lands. After many days of searching, several battles with the demonic forces - and the occasional foray into Outland itself, Ghalahad stumbled upon the remains of the Demon Hunter - Loramus Thalipedes. Driven on by the strange energies of the Blasted Lands, Ghalahad performed an arcane ritual at the Altar of Storms which revived the demon hunter. When the warrior had collected the necessary materials for a weapon capable of piercing the demon's defenses, Loramus conferred upon him the True Name of his enemy: Rakh'likh. Armed with an enchanted Felbane Sword with Razelikh the Defiler's True Name engraved upon the blade - the duo journied back to the Blasted Lands, where they battled with the three lieutenants of the Dreadlord, each of whom bore a piece of an ancient amulet that was necessary to summon the demon lord. When all the preperations were completed, the summoning ritual was performed at Razelikh's lair and the demon lord appeared as Loramus spoke his True Name aloud. With the blade in hand, Ghalahad proved equal to the demon overlord - but even with Loramus' aid, the demon lord still seemed to powerful to best. That changed however, as Razelikh realized that Loramus' resurrection from the Altar of Storms had left him with vast amounts of demonic power in his body. With that, he resolved to turn friends into enemies - and the creature attempted to possess Thalipedes' - only for the Night Elf to reveal that he had allowed the dreadlord to do so - so that his companion might strike the finishing blow. Understanding that the demon would return if he were to fall, Ghalahad gathered his resolve and plunged the Felbane blade into the possessed Loramus' chest - destroying his physical body and obliterating Raze'likh utterly. His task done, Loramus departed into the afterlife - promising that the demon would never return. The War Continues Many more battles were fought as the war raged with increasing intensity. Tol Barad became a battlefield with both sides desiring to control Baradin Hold and destroy the demons within. Fighting quickly spilled onto the peninsula and changed hands near constantly. Ghalahad and his troops became enmeshed in the battles, time and again, cracking open the Horde's defensive positions, only to lose everything they had gained the next day. During a brief pause in open combat between the two factions, each sent detachments to Vash'jir to deal with the Naga, while the Cenarion Circle built a defensive position on Mount Hyjal to destroy the Twilight's Hammer forces there - in Uldum, both sides allied with the city-state of Ramkahen. Ghalahad participated in a battle at the beaches of the Twilight Highlands where he had assaulted a Horde artillery position - and was noted for his gallantry when he personally raised the flag of the Alliance over the beach - drove forward and engaged the Goblins on the front lines further north. For his actions he was awarded the Mark of Honor, second class - and was promoted to Captain. At another battle a week later in the Twin Peaks - he assisted in the defence of the Wildhammer base against Dragonmaw Orcs - and was commended with the Mark of Conquest, first class decoration. In an indecisive skirmish near the Northwatch Expedition base camp in the Stonetalon Mountains, Ghalahad was wounded in the legs while dueling with a Tauren shaman - but managed to rally the Night Elves under his command to attack a Goblin refinery to the northeast at Mirkfallon lake. Two days later, in another skirmish at Trueshot Point - Ghalahad played a key role in defending the Alliance's sniping position - beating off at least three enemy attacks, inflicting heavy losses. With that, Ghalahad was sent home for a brief period to rest and recuperate while his duties were taken over by the local Night Elf garrisons. When word came of a new Horde encampment that would be used for further operations in Arathi, Alliance troops from the Honor Hold garrison marshalled outside the former capital at once, having duly cleansed much of Outland of the Legion. Under the rigorous command of Sir Andrew, Ghalahad and Zhakaron - the men became brave and resourceful - and the encroaching Forsaken units, who were supported by Orcs and Tauren from the nearby town of Hammerfall, were beaten back with ample munitions - perseverence and heavy armor. After two days of fighting, both sides retired to their bases, having gained little. At an Alliance council of war, the three commanders convened and discussed their strategy for pushing the enemy back, and, once a proper course had been agreed upon - their plan was put into motion in the morning. Sir Andrew began the battle by striking the entrenched Horde forces at Galen's Fall in a feint, causing minor damage to the encampment and forcing the majority of the Forsaken troops into combat with the Syndicate forces occupying the capital of Stromgarde Keep - a siege that weakened both sides considerably. Meanwhile, Zhakaron and a detachment of allied troops attacked the enemy occupied lands in the Arathi Basin. The attack separated the Horde in the Fall from their supply route, and further drive a wedge into the enemy lines further to the west, forcing several battalions to peel off from the fighting in Stromgarde - opening the way for a possible allied counterattack into Horde-occupied Hillsbrad. Finally, Ghalahad and a detachment of Night Elf guerillas struck at the newly weakened Hammerfall and ruined much of the town, inflicting heavy casualties before withdrawing and assisting Zhakaron's unit in the final push to take the basin itself. By the time that the campaign had concluded - the Horde's influence over Arathi had been shattered - although Hammerfall and Galen's Fall remained intact, much of their military strength had to be reorganized and reinforced for future campaigns. In the end, it was a shortage of supplies and a disagreement between the three commanders on their next course of action that prevented the Horde's garrisons in Arathi from being annihilated in a follow-up campaign. Sir Andrew, who had directed the campaign wanted to continue the push onwards, eradicating the last of the enemy's strongholds in the basin and reestablishing the Kingdom of Stromgarde - Zhakaron, who had led the troops in the bulk of the fighting wanted a reprieve to allow his scattered forces to regroup. Ghalahad - who had seen the lengths of the depravities that the Forsaken were willing to go to achieve victory - argued that they should continue a guerilla campaign, preserving their strength for further operations - lest they end up losing more men than could be spared. The indecision on part of the allied commanders permitted the Horde to regroup and rest - catching both sides in a deadlock, an uneasy peace that did not subside until the Alliance withdrew the majority of its forces in an attempt to halt encroaching Elementals, newly emerged from the Firelands. Mount Hyjal When the fighting with the Horde had died down after several more days of uneasy peace at the front - High Command saw fit to transfer the three commanders to separate fronts to deal with each threat. Ghalahad - with his experience with guerilla warfare and his good relations with the Night Elves of Darnassus - was duly sent to Mount Hyjal to counter the threat of the Twilight's Hammer Clan attempting to burn down the World Tree. His first task was to organize a real fighting force - as several units had split apart from the main force in an attempt to contain the invaders on many fronts. The warrior was faced with a dilemma as he was given conflicting objectives. On one hand, he was ordered to destroy the Twilight's Hammer presence on the mountain. But, to do so would mean sacrificing the Night Elves' sacred land - which would buy time for his forces to regroup but also allowing the Twilight's Hammer access to the forest's resources. On the other hand, his secondary objective was to protect the very lands he had been contemplating withdrawing from. A solution came however, when the Druids of the Earthen Ring and the Guardians of Hyjal agreed to awaken the Ancients of Nature itself to aid in their battle. With that - Ghalahad took small steps forward - meant to contain the invaders while strengthening his own position on the mountain: Attacking Twilight camps, convoys, reserve units and leaders whenever possible before withdrawing via eagles and gryphons. This pattern went on for a week or so before the Twilight cult resorted to burning down the forest itself - desecrating many sacred relics and sites that the Druids had long considered holy. Knowing that a fullscale attack would be suicide - Ghalahad instead undertook a very risky operation of infiltrating the Twilight Cult - disguising himself as a lowly member. As he completed each task set before him, the warrior was able to learn much of the Twilight Cult's plans - and also subsequently was able to transfer intelligence about enemy movement while creating dissension amongst the cult's leaders. Largely thanks to this - the Cenarion forces were able to match the Cult's efforts tit-for-tat, halting their offensive and gaining the upper hand. Cleaning Up the Scourge Although no less than a year had passed since the death of Arthas, which marked an end of the Scourge War - the fact that the Forsaken had begun using their former enemies' own troops to bolster their forces meant that the Alliance had the problem of the remnants of the Lich King's forces in Northrend. To remedy the situation - and to further ensure that there would never again be an uprising by the Scourge - Crowley sent Ghalahad and a small detachment of Alliance commandos to Northrend to quell any remaining Undead they found. For three months, Ghalahad and his troops cleaned up the remaining Scourge troops in Northrend - destroying any commanders who survived the war and obliterating their strongholds. Of particular note, hundreds of Death Knights, once servants to the Lich King - now freelance had taken control over a small portion of Icecrown - intending to use it to build another army and restart the war. To stop them, Ghalahad proceeded to launch an aerial assault against their base, where the Necropolis of Malykriss once stood. Every Death Knight within was systematically hunted down and destroyed. The commandos remained in the former citadel for some time after their victory - seemingly focused on purging the very soil there, which had been tainted by unholy energy. Special demolition crews leveled every last Scourge stronghold and artifact left - as well, all of the corpses were piled up and burned to prevent their resurrection. By the time they were done, nothing was left of the undead forces but ash and dust. Ghalahad would go on to personally commend the troops that had taken part in the mopping up campaign in a speech before the ruins of the Shadow Vault. He mockingly praised the former Scourge, thanking them for giving his men such invaluable combat experience - further stating that the whole operation was meant to deny the Forsaken, who had been increasingly mirroring their former enslavers. The End of the Cataclysm For almost a year and a half, Ghalahad and his troops would march against the Twilight's Hammer cult and its allies: The Black Dragonflight, the Naga and the servants of the Old Gods. After the course of many battles - the front was pushed back to the Firelands, where Ragnaros and his servants were destroyed. The following operations against the Naga in Vash'jir were spent fighting mostly underwater, as hundreds of sea-borne warriors rushed to join the battles. Ghalahad later led his forces to the Twilight Highlands where they destroyed the roosting ground for the Black Dragonflight - aided the Wildhammer Dwarves in uniting their clans, and later fought against a detachment of the Burning Legion at Mount Hyjal. These victories were offset by the news that Stormwind itself had been infiltrated by the Twilight cult. To put a halt to the rumors, and to break the back of the Twilight cult - the Alliance and Horde launched a massive attack against the Twilight Citadel, where Cho'gal - leader of the clan was finally slain in his own throne room. This victory, coupled with the destruction of several other important bases across the world meant the end of the Twilight's Hammer Clan. Under the leadership of the Twilight Father, later unmasked and revealed to be none other than Archbishop Benedictus - the remaining followers of the Old Gods rallied to Deathwing's side in launching a siege of the Wyrmrest Temple in Northrend. Fighting was fierce as the Dragons and the mortals battled side-by-side to drive back the enemy, and soon, Deathwing himself appeared on the battlefield. Thrall - who had spent much of his time preparing for the inevitable confrontation, made an agreement with the Dragons to use the Demon Soul to finish off the Earth Warder. It fell to Ghalahad and his troops to hold off the enemy until the artifact could successfully be retrieved from the Halls of Time. To that end, he pledged his forces to driving back the countless cultists surrounding the temple. Eventually it was understood that this attack was merely a distraction - for Deathwing had planned to assault the Maelstrom and shatter the World Pillar a second time - which would usher in the Hour of Twilight. A long prophecised event that would signal the end of all life on Azeroth, forever. It then fell to Thrall and the other heroes to stop Deathwing before this apocalypse could occur. After a long battle, the heroes pried open the plates on the former Earth Warder's armor, and finally the World Shaman used the combined power of the Dragon Aspects in one last attack that destroyed Deathwing utterly. Go'el then spoke of how he felt the Elements awakening and rejoicing, and he announced that the Cataclysm was finally over. A New Continent Ghalahad and his forces took the following months to rest and celebrate while detachments from other Alliance spent their time mopping up the remnants of the Twilight Cult and Deathwing's remaining forces. Three months after the end of the Cataclysm, it was announced that Prince Anduin Wrynn had gone missing, and that a new land had been discovered: Pandaria. However, this news had been offset by the fact that Garrosh Hellscream had destroyed Theramore with a giant bomb. Infuriated by this brutal act, the Alliance put its full strength into the war. Jaina Proudmoore, finally risen from her neutrality, promptly took over the vacant position of leader of the Kirin Tor, turning Dalaran into an Alliance city. Grand Admiral Jes Tereth, Supreme Commander of the Alliance fleets, promptly marshaled a massive fleet of near two hundred ships, broke the Horde's blockade on Kalimdor and sent a large detachment to Pandaria to recruit troops willing to fight for Varian, and to search for his missing son. While the conflict raged on throughout the mysterious, ancient isle, Ghalahad and a detachment of his troops seized and promptly destroyed a cargo ship full of munitions on its way to the front lines. Among the contents, they captured a large number of documents and intelligence, including dispatches directly from Garrosh - ordering that the Horde troops execute any and all Pandarens that refused to fight for him. Also among the mail, there were increasingly threatening letters from the Warchief to the other leaders of the Horde - who had become disgusted with his reckless leadership, and with Garrosh's recent defeat in Ashenvale at the hands of Varian Wrynn, who at that point had become the Avatar of Goldrinn. With this, Ghalahad came up with the idea of chanting "Lo'Gosh" - the King's gladiatorial name, as a battlecry, both to inspire their Night Elf and Worgen allies - and to mock the Horde that had given him such a moniker. Category:Alliance Category:Worgen Category:Gilneans Category:Warrior